Pair routing between three undersea fiber optic cables

ABSTRACT

An undersea fiber optic cable routing architecture including a branching unit coupled to three trunk cables capable of switching individual fibers in each fiber pair within a cable to either of the other two cables. The branching unit comprises a plurality of optical switches and a controller for receiving remote command signals and configuring the optical switches in accordance with the remote command signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 63/002,981, filed on Mar. 31, 2020, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the field of undersea communicationnetworks and relates more particularly to submarine cable branchingnodes with fiber pair switching.

BACKGROUND

Submarine optical cables are laid on the seabed or ocean floor betweenland-based terminals to carry optical signals across long stretches ofocean and sea. The optical cables typically include several opticalfiber pairs and other components such as strengthening members, a powerconductor, an electrical insulator and a protective shield. The opticalfibers may be single core/mode fibers or multi-mode/core fibers. Thefirst fiber of a fiber pair may be coupled in the system forcommunicating signals in a first direction on the cable and the secondfiber of the fiber pair may be configured for communicating signals in asecond direction, opposite the first direction, on the cable to supportbi-directional communications.

In a branched submarine optical communication system, a trunk cable mayextend between first and second land-based trunk terminals. The trunkcable may include a number of trunk cable segments coupled betweenoptical amplifiers for amplifying the optical signals and may have oneor more branching nodes coupled thereto. Each branching unit may beconnected to a branch cable that terminates in a transmitting and/orreceiving land-based branch terminal. The branch cable may include anumber of branch cable segments coupled between optical amplifiers foramplifying the optical signals.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one aspect, an undersea fiber optic cable routing system is provided.The undersea fiber optic cable routing system includes a branching unitcoupled to three fiber optic cables. Each fiber optic cable having anumber of fiber pairs. The branching unit may include a number ofswitches for each fiber pair. The number of switches are configurable toenable a a fiber pair from any one of the three fiber optic cables maybe switched to allow routing to either of the other two cable fiberoptic cables, and a controller operable to receive remote commandsignals and to configure the number of switches as indicated by thereceived remote command signal.

In another aspect, an undersea fiber optic cable routing system thatincludes a first undersea fiber optic cable, a second undersea fiberoptic cable, and a third fiber optic cable, and a branching unit isprovided. Each of the first, second and third undersea fiber opticcables includes a number of fiber pairs. The branching unit may beconfigured to couple to each of the first, second and third underseafiber optic cables. The branching unit includes a first set ofassignable switches, a second set of assignable switches, a third set ofassignable switches, a number of optical pathways, and a controller. Thefirst set of assignable switches may be configured to optically coupleto the plurality of fiber pairs in the first undersea fiber optic cable,where each assignable switch in the first set is coupled to a respectivefiber pair in the first fiber optic cable. The second set of assignableswitches may be configured to optically couple to the number of fiberpairs in the second undersea fiber optic cable and the third set ofassignable switches may be configured to optically couple to a thirdundersea fiber optic cable. Each assignable switch in the second set iscoupled to a respective fiber pair in the second fiber optic cable andeach assignable switch in the third set is coupled to a respective fiberpair in the third fiber optic cable. The optical pathways are coupled torespective assignable switches in each of the first set, second set andthird set of assignable switches to one another. The controller may becoupled to each respective assignable switch in each of the first set,second set and third set of assignable switches, where the controller isoperable to assign a respective first set assignable switch from thefirst set to a respective second set assignable switch and to arespective third set assignable switch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. In the following description,various embodiments of the present disclosure are described withreference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary branched opticalcommunication system

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a branching unit between three underseacables, with specialized fiber switching configuration for each fiberpair.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of fiber pair switching connectivity between thethree sites, showing switch connections between individual fiber pairsin each cable.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an alternate embodiment of the invention tolink to fiber pairs in each cable together into a larger, more flexiblereconfiguration group.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the linkage between two fiber pairs in eachof the three cables in the switch configuration shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates states of a branching unit including an example of anadditional reconfigurable component coupled to a cable input into anexample a branching unit architecture.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of a configuration of a branchingunit architecture.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another example of a configuration of a branchingunit architecture.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a branch unit control configuration inan undersea fiber optic cable routing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems, and devices in accordance with the present disclosure will nowbe described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, where one or more embodiments are shown. The systems anddevices may be embodied in many different forms and are not to beconstrued as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Instead,these embodiments are provided so the disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of methods and devices tothose skilled in the art. Each of the systems, devices, and methodsdisclosed herein provides one or more advantages over conventionalsystems, components, and methods.

Undersea cables are typically implemented with trunk and brancharchitectures, as described above. Typical connection architecturesdesignate two cables as “trunk” cables, and the third cable as a“branch” cable. At a network unit, fiber switches on each trunk fiberpair are configured so that an individual trunk fiber pair eitherconnects to, or bypasses, a corresponding set of branch fiber pairs. Inthe new configuration described herein, there is no trunk and branchdesignation.

The disclosed subject matter provides the capability to bring threetrunk cables together by providing new switching architectures usable toprovide for reconfigurable routing flexibility between the fiber pairsin all three cables. A new switching architecture allows any “two out ofthree” trunk cables to be connected, on a per fiber, per fiber pair orper group of fiber-pairs basis. Other technical features may be readilyapparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures,descriptions, and claims.

The assignable switches described herein may be configured to connectany two-out-of-three fiber pairs, where one fiber pair comes from eachof the three cables. The fiber pair selectivity can be provided foranywhere between one “trio” of fiber pairs (e.g. 1×1×1), up to N triosof fiber pairs (e.g., N×N×N), where N is the fiber pair count of thecable with the lowest number of fiber pairs.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary branched optical communication system100. The system 100 has been depicted in highly-simplified form for easeof explanation. The illustrated system 100 includes land-based trunkterminals 110 and 120 coupled to a trunk cable 112, and a land-basedbranch terminal 160 coupled to the trunk cable 112 through a branchcable 162. In some embodiments, the system 100 may be configured as along-haul system, e.g. having a length between at least two of theterminals of more than about 600 km, which spans a body of water, e.g.an ocean. The trunk cable 112 may thus span between beach landings.

The trunk cable 112 and the branch cables 162 may both include aplurality of optical cable segments, e.g. cable segments 114, 115, 116for carrying optical signals, e.g. wavelength division multiplexed (WDM)optical signals. Each cable segment may include one or more sections ofoptical cable and one or more repeaters 170. Each section of opticalcable may take a known configuration including a plurality of fiberpairs, one or more layers of strengthening members, an electrical powerconductor, an insulator, and armored cover portion. The optical fiberpairs and the power conductor of the optical cable are covered andprotected within the cable by the armored cover portion, members, and aprotective cover.

The system 100 may therefore be configured to provide bi-directionalcommunication of optical signals between any of the terminals 110, 120,160. For ease of explanation, the description herein may refer totransmission from one terminal to another. It is to be understood,however, that the system 100 may be configured for bi-directional oruni-directional communication between any number of the terminals 110,120, 160.

At least one fiber pair switching branching unit (FPS-BU) 130 may becoupled to the trunk cable between the trunk terminals 110, 120. As willbe described in greater detail below, the FPS-BU 130 is configured toallow remote and selectively controllable routing of trunk cable fiberpairs to branch cable fiber pairs. In some embodiments, the FPS-BU 130is configured to allow remote and selectively controllable routing oftwo or more trunk cable fiber pairs to a fewer number of branch cablefiber pairs. Although the FPS-BU 130 is illustrated as a single elementin FIG. 1, it is to be understood that the functionality of the FPS-BU130 may be integrated into a single element disposed in a singlehousing, or portions of the functionality may be physically separatefrom each other, e.g. by several kilometers or by one or more waterdepths to allow the elements to be retrieved from an ocean floor forrepair or replacement independently of one another.

The FPS-BU 130 may be associated with an optional wavelength managementunit (WMU) unit 150, configured to provide selective wavelengthfiltering of the signals on the branch cable fiber pairs coupled to theFPS-BU 130.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment showing three cables 210, 212 and 224from three sites 202 a, 202 b, and 202 c, respectively, connected at abranching unit 214. The three sites 202 a, 202 b, and 202 c may outputinformation as optical signals for transmission via the respectivecables 210, 212 and 224. Each cable 210, 212 or 224 has a certain numberof fiber pairs with each fiber pair having two fibers. For example,fiber pair 234 from undersea fiber optic cable 224, has one inboundfiber 238 to Site 2 202 b and one outbound fiber 236 from Site 2 202 b,which allows bidirectional communication between sites 202 a and 202 b.For example, undersea fiber optic cable 210 has a fiber pair thatincludes inbound fiber 208 and outbound fiber 232.

Branching Unit 214 may include a number of assignable switches 204, 206,216, 218 220 and 222 and a number of optical pathways, such as 228 and230, that couple the respective assignable switches to one another. TheBranching Unit 214 may be configured to allow remote and selectivelycontrollable routing of the fiber pairs in response to a remote commandsignal. The remote command signal for configuring the switches may betransmitted, for example, on a supervisory channel of a wavelengthdivision multiplexed signal transmitted on anyone of the three cables210, 212 or 224. Branch unit 214 may include a controller 226 forextracting the remote command signal from the supervisory channel andfor configuring the switches in response to the remote command signal.In alternate embodiments, the remote command signal may be transmittedto branch unit 214 by any known means, including, for example,transmitting the remote command signal on a fiber of the fiber pairbeing switched, such as fiber 208 and fiber 232, and retrieved by thecontroller 226.

The FIG. 2 shows the switching of one of the fiber pairs from eachcable. The embodiment of FIG. 2 is capable of routing individual fiberpairs within each cable 210, 212, or 224. The embodiment shows one fiberpair from each of the three cables to be connected through an assemblyof six 1×2 optical switches. However, switches with other ratios, suchas 2×2 blocking, 2×2 non-blocking, or larger ratio switches, may beused.

To change the fiber path, for example, from connecting Site 202 a toSite 202 c to connecting Site 202 a to Site 202 b, the optical switchingin the branching unit 214 for both fibers must be configured by thecontroller 226. To establish an optical path for one fiber of the fiberpair, two out of the three switches for a fiber are configured to coupleto a correct switch. For example, one “head end” switch, such as switch204, for the inbound fiber 208 and one “selector” switch, such as switch206, for coupling to the outbound fiber 236. Switch 206 may be acorresponding switch to switch 204 and switch 216 may be a correspondingswitch to switch 220. A corresponding switch is an optical assignableswitch in another cable that is matched to the direction of opticalsignal flow. In the example, both fibers of the fiber pair follow thesame route between sites, that is, both fibers (e.g., 208 and 232 ofSite 202 a) in the fiber pair are switched together (e.g., usingswitches 204 and 220) to couple to respective fibers 236 and 238 infiber pair 234 of cable 224). When the above described switching iscompleted, optical signal transfers from switches 218 and 222 of Cable212 to switches 204 and 220 of Cable 210 are no longer enabled.Additionally, optical signal transfers from switches 218 and 222 ofCable 212 to switches 206 and 216 of cable 224 are no longer enabled.The foregoing description describes the formation of a switchingtriangle between switches 204, 206 and 218 of respective cables 210, 212and 224 as well as a corresponding switching triangle for switches 220,216 and 222.

When one undersea fiber optic cable has fewer fiber pairs than theothers, the number of supported fiber pairs is limited to that number offiber pairs. For example, if two fiber optic cables of three fiber opticcables have 16 fiber pairs and the third fiber optic cable has only sixfiber pairs, then only six fiber pairs from each of the three cables maybe configured in the “two-out-of-three configuration.”

FIG. 3 illustrates an expansion of the switching of individual fiberpairs, as shown in FIG. 2 to switching between three undersea fiberoptic cables, each undersea fiber optic cable in FIG. 3 has 16 fiberpairs, for example. The undersea fiber optic cable routing system 300may include sites 304, 306 and 308, undersea fiber optic cables 312,314, and 316, and configurable branching unit 310.

The sites 304, 306 and 308 may provide optical signals (not shown)containing information that is to be transmitted to further distributionor received from another corresponding site (e.g., site 304 exchangesoptical signals with site 306, and site 308 exchanges optical signalswith site 304, and so on). The respective sites 304, 306, 308 mayinclude hardware, such processors, servers, lasers, optical modulators,optical demodulators, electro-optical conversion equipment, opticalamplifiers, repeaters, and the like. Like the undersea fiber opticcables 210, 212 and 224 of FIG. 2, the undersea fiber optic cables 312,314 and 316 include a number of fiber pairs.

The undersea fiber optic cables 312, 314 and 316 may be opticallycoupled to the respective sites 304, 306 and 308 at a first end andcoupled to the branching unit 310 at a second end.

The configurable branching unit 310 may include a number of opticalswitches that are assignable switches, a number of optical pathways 320,a controller 322, and a housing 324. The housing 324 is configured toprotect the number of optical switches, such as the optical switch 302,the number of optical pathways 320, and the controller 322. Thecontroller 322 may optionally be located within the housing 324 of theconfigurable branching unit 310.

In the example of FIG. 3, undersea fiber optic cable 312 includes 16fiber pairs, such as fiber pair 326, which couple to an assignableswitch, such as 302, of the number of assignable switches inconfigurable branching unit 310. While there are 16 optical assignableswitches 302 for each fiber pair shown in the FIG. 3 example, there areactually 32 optical assignable switches 302, one optical assignableswitch for the inbound fiber and one optical assignable switch for theoutbound fiber of the 16 fiber pairs shown for each of the fiber opticcables 312, 314 and 316.

In the example configurable branching unit 310, one fiber from each ofcables 312, 314 and 316 may be assigned by the controller 322 to one“switching triangle” 318 between the three cables 312, 314 and 316. FIG.3 illustrates an example of a switching triangle 318, which is one ofthree switching triangle examples shown, it should be realized by one ofskill in the art that a switching triangle may exist for eachcorresponding fiber pair from each cable 312, 314 and 316.

Switching triangle 318 represents the three possible connection pathsfor each group of fiber pairs (i.e., fiber pair 326 of undersea fiberoptic cable 312, fiber pair 328 of undersea fiber optic cable 314 andfiber pair 330 of undersea fiber optic cable 316) in configurablebranching unit 310. Only one side of the switching triangle 318 can beactive at a time, forming a connection between two of the three sites.The other two sides of the switching triangle 318 are disconnected bythe respective optical switches 302 at each vertex of the switchingtriangle 318.

The respective embodiments shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 provide a noveloptical switching configuration in the undersea cable environment. Thebranching unit 214 as well as the configurable branching unit 310 can beconfigured to connect two out of three sites on each fiber pair. Foreach fiber pair, a first site (e.g., Site 202 a of FIG. 2, or Site 304of FIG. 3) one may be connected to second site (e.g., Site 202 b of FIG.2, or Site 306 of FIG. 3), with a third site (e.g., Site 202 c of FIG.2, or Site 308 of FIG. 3) disconnected. Alternatively, the first site(e.g., Site 202 a of FIG. 2, or Site 304 of FIG. 3) may be connected tothe third site (e.g., Site 202 c of FIG. 2, or Site 308 of FIG. 3) withthe second site (e.g., Site 202 b of FIG. 2, or Site 306 of FIG. 3)disconnected. In another alternative, the second site (e.g., Site 202 bof FIG. 2, or Site 306 of FIG. 3) may be connected to the third site(e.g., Site 202 c of FIG. 2, or Site 308 of FIG. 3) with the first site(e.g., Site 202 a of FIG. 2, or Site 304 of FIG. 3) disconnected. Any“odd” numbers of leftover fiber pairs in any cable would be managed witha single fiber pair architecture, such as shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an alternate embodiment of the invention tolink to fiber pairs in each cable together into a larger, more flexiblereconfiguration group. In the undersea fiber optic cable routing system400, Site 402, Site 404 and Site 406 are coupled to branching unit 408.In the example of FIG. 4, the selection group is expanded to include twofiber pairs in each respective cable 410, 412 and 414. In the FIG. 4example, the controller 416 may have selected a group of two fiber pairsfor switching. The controller 416 may be operable to designate any twofiber pairs in each cable 410, 412 and 414 as part of the same selectiongroup. For example, a remote command signal may be received instructingthe controller 416 which fiber pairs from the respective cables 410, 412or 414, or from respective sites 404, 402 and 406, to designate as partof a selection group for switching.

In the example, a first fiber pair in Site 402 (i.e., Site 402 FP1) anda second fiber pair in Site 402 (i.e., Site 402 FP2) in cable 412 may bedesignated by the controller 416 as part of a selection group. Fiberpairs in respective cables 410 and 414, such as Site 404 FP1, Site 404FP2, Site 406 FP1 and Site 406 FP2, may also be designated by thecontroller 416 to complete the selection group. Once the selection groupis designated, the controller 416 may assign two optical assignableswitches coupled to each designated fiber pair (e.g., Site 402 FP1, Site404 FP1 and Site 406 FP1) to couple via an optical pathway (shown by thedashed lines) to one another. In the example, the two optical assignableswitches coupled to each designated fiber pair (e.g., Site 402 FP1) ofcable 412 may be coupled via a dedicated optical pathway to acorresponding set or duo of optical assignable switches coupled to thedesignated fiber pair of cable 414 (i.e., Site 406 FP1). Similarly, thetwo optical assignable switches coupled to each designated fiber pair(e.g., Site 406 FP1) of cable 414 may be coupled via a dedicated opticalpathway to a corresponding set or duo of optical assignable switchescoupled to the designated fiber pair of cable 410 (i.e., Site 406 FP1).

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 provides additional flexibility byallowing configurations with two connected fiber pairs per selectiongroup. For example, connecting site 402 to site 404 with two fiber pairswith site 406 disconnected; connecting site 402 to site 406 with 2 fiberpairs with site 404 disconnected; or connecting site 404 to site 406with two fiber pairs with site 402 disconnected.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative view of the linkage between two fiber pairsin each of the three cables in a switch configuration such as that shownin FIG. 4. In the example, an undersea fiber optic cable routingarchitecture 500 that includes cables 502, 504 and 506, and a branchingunit 520. In this example, each of the cables 502, 504 and 506 include16 fiber pairs (an inbound fiber and an outbound fiber). As in theearlier examples, the branching unit 520 has 32 respective opticalassignable switches to couple to the respective inbound and outboundfibers. In this example, the controller has designated the outermostfiber pairs to be coupled to one another. The designated couplingconnects cable 502 FP1-to-cable 504 FP1-to-cable 506 FP1 and cable 502FP2-to-cable 504 FP2-to-cable 506 F2, from each respective cable 502,504 and 506 to one another. The controller further assigns opticalassignable switches to route the designated fiber pairs according to thedesignated coupling. For example, the controller may assign opticalassignable switch 508 (of cable 502) to corresponding optical assignableswitch 510 (of cable 504) and corresponding optical assignable switch514 (of cable 506). The controller may further assign optical assignableswitch 516 (of cable 502) to corresponding optical assignable switch 512(of cable 504) and corresponding optical assignable switch 518 (of cable506). Since each optical assignable switch includes switches to coupleto each fiber of the respective fiber pairs bi-directional is enabled.

The branching unit 520 includes a number of optical pathways, such as522., 524, 526, 528, 530 and 532 that interconnect each of the opticalassignable switches 508-518. Each optical assignable switch is coupledto two optical pathways. For example, optical assignable switch 518 isoptically coupled to optical assignable switch 516 via optical pathway530 and to optical assignable switch 510 via optical pathway 524.Similarly, optical assignable switch 516 is optically coupled to opticalassignable switch 512 via optical pathway 526. As in the earlierexamples, only one optical pathway of the two can be active at aparticular time. Based on which optical pathways are active, the opticalassignable switches may be controlled to place the branching unit 520 inone of five different states.

FIG. 6 illustrates example states of fiber pairs in a branching unit. Inthe illustrated example, each site cable is shown for ease ofillustration and explanation as providing 2 fiber pairs to a branchingunit 600. Each of respective fiber pair includes 2 fibers, an inboundfiber and an outbound fiber. The branching unit 600 is configure with 1optical assignable switch for each fiber of a fiber pair. In branchingunit 600, a first fiber pair in Site 1 couples to two optical assignableswitches represented by optical assignable switch 602 and a second fiberpair that couples to another two optical assignable switches representedby optical assignable switch 604. Similarly, a first fiber pair in Site2 couples to two optical assignable switches represented by opticalassignable switch 606 and a second fiber pair that couples to anothertwo optical assignable switches represented by optical assignable switch608, and a first fiber pair in Site 3 couples to two optical assignableswitches represented by optical assignable switch 610 and a second fiberpair that couples to another two optical assignable switches representedby optical assignable switch 612.

A controller (not shown in this example) can, in response to a remotecommand signal, control the state of fiber pairs designated for routingin the branching unit 600 by sending instructions to respective opticalassignable switches for the fiber pairs that are designated for routing.In response to the remote command signal, which then places thebranching unit 600.

In State 1, the respective optical assignable switches 602 and 604 ofSite 1 in the branching unit 600 are configured to enable the transferof optical signals from Site 1 to the corresponding optical assignableswitches 612 and 610 of Site 3 (as represented by the solid lines). InState 1, the optical pathways between optical assignable switch 602 andoptical assignable switch 604 of Site 1 and optical assignable switch608 and optical assignable switch 606 of Site 2 are inactive (asrepresented by the dashed lines).

In State 2, the respective optical assignable switches of the branchingunit 600 are configured to enable the transfer of optical signals fromoptical assignable switches 606 and 608 of Site 2 to correspondingoptical assignable switches 612 and 610 of Site 2. In State 2, theoptical pathways between optical assignable switches 606 and 608 of Site2 and corresponding optical assignable switches 604 and 602 of Site 1and the optical pathways between optical assignable switches 602 and 604of Site 1 and corresponding optical assignable switches 612 and 610 ofSite 3 are all shown as inactive (as represented by the dashed lines).

In State 3, the respective optical assignable switches of the branchingunit 600 are configured to enable the transfer of optical signals fromoptical assignable switches 606 and 608 of Site 2 to correspondingoptical assignable switches 604 and 602 of Site 1. In State 2, theoptical pathways between optical assignable switches 606 and 608 of Site2 and corresponding optical assignable switches 612 and 610 of Site 3and the optical pathways between optical assignable switches 602 and 604of Site 1 and corresponding optical assignable switches 612 and 610 ofSite 3 are all shown as inactive (as represented by the dashed lines).

States 1-3 are states in which 2 fiber pairs from a first site arerouted to 2 fiber pairs of a second site. However, one of the furtherimprovements and advantages of the disclosed routing architecture andundersea fiber optic cable routing system is a capability to designateand route a first fiber pair from the first site to the second site anda second fiber pair from the first site to a third site. The examples ofStates 4 and 5 illustrate these advantageous configurations.

In State 4, a first fiber pair of Site 1 coupled to optical assignableswitch 602 is routed to a corresponding first fiber pair of Site 3 bycoupling to optical assignable switch 612, the second fiber pair of Site1 coupled to optical assignable switch 604 is routed to a correspondingfirst fiber pair of Site 2 by coupling to optical assignable switch 606,and a second fiber pair of Site 2 coupled to optical assignable switch608 is routed to a corresponding second fiber pair of Site 3 by couplingto optical assignable switch 610.

State 5 provides a variation of State 4 that exhibits the flexibilityafforded to the controller in designating individual fiber pairs forrouting. In State 5, a first fiber pair of Site 1 coupled to opticalassignable switch 602 is routed to a corresponding first fiber pair ofSite 2 by coupling to optical assignable switch 608, the second fiberpair of Site 1 coupled to optical assignable switch 604 is routed to acorresponding first fiber pair of Site 3 by coupling to opticalassignable switch 610, and a second fiber pair of Site 2 coupled tooptical assignable switch 606 is routed to a corresponding second fiberpair of Site 3 by coupling to optical assignable switch 612.

The capability to designate routing of individual fiber pairs enablesthe controller to respond to remote commands that designate any numberof individual fiber pairs for routing as a group. For example, groups of2, 5, 15, 24 up to N, where N is the cable with fewest number of fiberpairs, are possible. Such routing capability improves an optical signaldistribution system to respond to changes in demand, equipment failuresand outages, and the like,

The advantages of the disclosed routing architecture and undersea fiberoptic cable routing system shown in and described with respect to theprevious examples may be further improved upon by incorporatingadditional switching capabilities as shown and described in thefollowing examples.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of a configuration of a branchingunit that incorporates an additional spectrum routing device.

In the example of FIG. 7, an undersea fiber optic cable routing system700, includes a first undersea fiber optic cable 716 from 1^(st) Site710, a second undersea fiber optic cable 718 from 2^(nd) Site 712, and athird fiber optic cable 720 from 3^(rd) Site 714, and a branching unit722. Each of the first, second and third undersea fiber optic cables716, 718 and 720 includes a number of fiber pairs. In this example, thenumber of fiber pairs is 16, but the number of fiber pairs may also be3, 8, 9 12, 24, or the like.

The branching unit 722 may be configured to couple to each of the first,second and third undersea fiber optic cables 716, 718 and 720 to enablethe routing (or “branching”) of optical signals from one of the fiberoptic cables to another. The branching unit 722 also may include a firstset of optical assignable switches 724 configured to optically couple tothe number of fiber pairs in the first undersea fiber optic cable 716, asecond set of assignable switches 726 configured to optically couple tothe number of fiber pairs in the second undersea fiber optic cable 718and a third set of assignable switches 728 configured to opticallycouple to the number of fiber pairs in the third undersea fiber opticcable 720. Each assignable switch in the first set of optical assignableswitch 724 may be coupled to a respective fiber pair in the first fiberoptic cable 716. Similarly, each assignable switch in the second set ofassignable switches 726 may be coupled to a respective fiber pair in thesecond fiber optic cable 718, and each assignable switch in the thirdset of assignable switches 728 is coupled to a respective fiber pair inthe third fiber optic cable 720.

The branching unit 722 also includes a number of optical pathways(represented collectively by 702) that couple respective assignableswitches in each of the first set 724, second set 726 and third set ofassignable switches 728 to one another.

The controller 730 may be coupled to each respective assignable switchin each of the first set 724 of assignable switches, the second set 726of assignable switches and the third set 728 of assignable switches. Thecontroller 730 may be operable to assign a respective first setassignable switch from the first set of assignable switches 724 to arespective second set assignable switch in the second set 726 and to arespective third set assignable switch in the third set 728.

In the example system 700, the number of designated fiber pairs forswitching may be 16×16×16. The controller 730 may, for example, beoperable to assign respective optical assignable switches in the firstset of assignable switches 724 to corresponding assignable switches ineach of the second set of assignable switches 726 and the third set ofassignable switches 728. Based on the assignments given to respectiveassignable switches in the first set, the second set and the third set,a “switching triangle,” such as 727, may be formed.

The optic cable routing system may also include further includes anumber of ROADMs 704, 706, and 708 coupled to a selected fiber pair ineach of the first (716), second (718) and third (720) undersea fiberoptic cables. Each respective reconfigurable optical add-dropmultiplexer of the number of reconfigurable optical add-dropmultiplexers is coupled to a respective selected fiber pair prior to therespective selected fiber pair coupling to a respective assignableswitch. For example, the respective reconfigurable optical add-dropmultiplexer 708 is coupled to cable 720 prior to cable 720 coupling tothe branching unit 722 and the third set of optical assignable switches728.

The additional spectrum routing device referenced in the description ofFIG. 7 may be a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) thatis incorporated prior to the optical assignable switches of a branchingunit. As mentioned previously, the undersea fiber optic cables 716, 718and 720 convey optical signals that are transmitted in differentwavelengths of light. Different fibers, such as inbound fibers, in acable may carry different wavelengths of light. The ROADM is configuredto traverse multiple fibers of both types of fibers, where type means aninbound fiber as one type and outbound fiber as another type. The ROADMmay be controlled by the controller (shown in other examples) that alsocontrols the branching unit. The ROADM may be configured to combine afirst designated set of wavelengths from one input (e.g. a first inboundfiber) with a second designated set of different wavelengths fromanother input (e.g., a second inbound fiber) in order to allow the firstset of designated wavelengths and the second set of designatedwavelengths to share an inbound fiber pair. For example, once combined,the combined wavelengths may share the first inbound fiber, the secondinbound fiber, or both the first inbound fiber and the second inboundfiber.

In an example that refers to the states of FIG. 6 and the ROADMs. AROADM, such as 706 may be installed across 2 fiber pairs of cable 718 of2^(nd) site 712. The controller 730 may receive remote command signalsdesignating the 2 fiber pairs couple to the ROADM 706 for switching. Therespective 2 fiber pairs coupled to the ROADM 706 may be configured asshown in State 4 of FIG. 6, which enables the controller 730 to directoptical signals in 1 fiber pair of the 2 fiber pairs coupled to theROADM 706 from 2^(nd) Site 712 to 1^(st) Site 710. Optical signals inthe other 1 fiber pair coupled to the ROADM 706 may be directed to3^(rd) Site 714. A fiber pair in 1^(st) Site 710 may be coupled to afiber pair in 3rd Site 714. The ROADM 706 allows 2 fiber pairs to sharethe optical wavelength spectrum being transmitted over the 2 fiberspairs to be shared. In instances where the fiber pairs coupled to theROADM 706 is carrying a greater part of the optical wavelength spectrumfrom the 2^(nd) Site 712, the ROADM 706 may share the spectrum but mayalso convey a signal to the controller 730 that the state of the fiberpairs should be switched from State 4 (1 FP on all paths) to State 2. InState 2, both fiber pairs coupled to ROADM 706 and respective assignableswitches 728 are designated for switching to cope with the greater partof the optical spectrum. In response to the designation for switching,the controller 730 issues control signals to reassign the respectiveassignable switches in the second set 726 of assignable switches coupledto the 2 fiber pairs to be switched to State 2. By switching to State 2,the shared optical wavelength spectrum is distributed and delivered tothe 3^(rd) Site. Alternatively, returning to when the respective fiberpairs are configured in State 2, the ROADM 706 may determine frommonitoring the respective fiber pair coupled to the ROADM 706 thatconveys optical signals to/from the 1^(st) Site 710 that fiber pairsfrom the 1^(st) Site 710 are carrying a greater part of the opticalwavelength spectrum. As a result, the ROADM may forward this informationto the controller 730, which may cause the respective assignableswitches of the fiber pair to change to State 1, where the fiber pairfrom 1^(st) Site 710 previously coupled to the ROADM 706 is now switchedto couple the one fiber pair from the 2^(st) Site 710 to an assignableswitch directing the optical signals to the 3^(rd) Site 714.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another example of a configuration of a branchingunit architecture. The configurable branching unit 800 provides anillustration of fiber pair selectivity that enable the concept ofanywhere between one “trio” of fiber pairs (e.g. 1×1×1), up to N triosof fiber pairs (e.g., N×N×N), where N is the fiber pair count of thefiber optic cable with the lowest number of fiber pairs.

The configurable branching unit 800 may include three sites (Site 1 834,Site 2 836 and Site 3 838) and from which respective undersea fiberoptic cables having a number of fiber pairs couples to a branching unit842. The number of fiber pairs in each of illustrated cables is 16, butdifferent numbers of fiber pairs may be used. Within, or connected to,the respective undersea fiber optic cables are ROADMs (as described withreference to FIG. 7) coupled to respective fiber pairs. While a ROADMmay be typically configured on 2 fiber pairs facing one-out-of-three ofthe sites, other configurations are envisioned. For example, the cablefrom Site 1 834 has ROADMS R1 820, R2 818, R3 816 and R4 808 with eachROADM coupled to respective fiber pairs, such as 2 fiber pairs or thelike, of the 16 fiber pairs in the cable from Site 1 834. Similarly, thecable from Site 2 836 has ROADMs R1 806, R2 828, R3 830 and R4 834 witheach ROADM coupled to respective fiber pairs, such as 2 fiber pairs orthe like, of the 16 fiber pairs in the cable from Site 2 836, and thecable from Site 3 8386 has ROADMS R1 826, R2 824, R3 822 and R4 804 witheach ROADM coupled to respective fiber pairs, such as 2 fiber pairs orthe like, of the 16 fiber pairs in the cable from Site 3 838.

The branching unit 842 is similar to the previously described exampleswith regard to the number of optical assignable switches and the opticalpathways and responsiveness to commands from the controller 840. Forexample, each cable has respective fiber pairs that are coupled torespective assignable switches of a set of assignable switches from sitein the branching unite 842. For example, the fiber pairs from the cablefrom Site 1 834 couple to the set of assignable switches 844 in thebranching unit 842, the fiber pairs from the cable from Site 2 836couple to the set of assignable switches 846, and the fiber pairs fromthe cable from Site 3 838 couple to the set of assignable switches 848.

As mentioned with respect to the example of FIG. 7, the controller 840in the example of FIG. 8 may also determine the state settings of therespective optical assignable switches in the branching unit 842 coupledto each cable of Site 1 834, Site 2 836, and Site 3 838. The controllermay be further operable to, in response to remote command signals, groupsets of assignable switches together, where each group of assignableswitches includes at least one switched coupled to a fiber pair that isalso coupled to a ROADM. The controller may set the group state, and thestate of each fiber pair may be determined based on the group state. Anoperational example may be helpful.

In the operational example, the controller 840 may receive designationsof fiber pairs to be switched in a remote command signal and whichdesignated fiber pairs are to be grouped together in a trio of groups.In response to the remote command signal, the controller 840 may beoperable to subdivide the first set of assignable switches 844 intogroups of the first set of assignable switches, subdivide the second setof assignable switches 846 into groups of the second set of assignableswitches, where the number of assignable switches in each of the groupsof the second state of assignable switches corresponds to the number ofassignable switches of the groups of the first set of assignableswitches. The controller 840 also subdivides the third set of assignableswitches 848 into groups of the third set of assignable switches, wherethe number of assignable switches in each the groups of the third set ofassignable switches corresponds to the number of assignable switches ineach of the groups of the first set and the groups of the second set ofassignable switches. The controller 840 may be further operable toassign respective groups of the first set of assignable switches tocorresponding groups of the second set of assignable switches and thethird set of assignable switches.

As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 840 may subdivide the first set ofassignable switches into a first group of 4 assignable switches, theassignable switches may include those coupled to a fiber pair in thecable from Site 1 834 that includes ROADM R1 820. The controller maysubdivide assignable switches from the second set of assignable switches846 and third set of assignable switches 848 of assignable switches intogroups that include a corresponding group of 4 assignable switches. Thecontroller 840 may place the group of 4 assignable switches from thefirst set of assignable switches 844, and the corresponding groups of 4assignable switches from the second set of assignable switches 846 andthird set of assignable switches 848 together in a control group, suchas R1-4×4×4 802, that control group also includes the respective fiberpairs of each cable coupled to respective ROADMs R1 820, R1 806 and R1826. Similarly, the controller may generate control groups, such asR2-4×4×4 810 that also includes the respective fiber pairs of each cablecoupled to respective ROADMs R2 816, R2 828 and R2 824. The controllermay generate control groups with different numbers of assignableswitches, such as R3-2×2×2 812, which has groups of 2 assignableswitches from each cable, and that includes the respective fiber pairsof each cable coupled to respective ROADMs R3 818, R2 830 and R2 822.Another control group may be R4-6×6×6 814, which has groups of 6assignable switches from each cable, and that includes the respectivefiber pairs of each cable coupled to respective ROADMs R4 808, R4 832and R8 804.

The generation of control groups may be limited by the number ofassignable switches in a group. The group size may be based on thefewest number of fiber pairs in a respective one of the first, secondand third undersea fiber optic cables, and each corresponding group mayhave the same number of assignable switches.

Additionally, further flexibility can be provided in fiber pair routingbetween the three cables. Groups of more than one fiber pair per cablecan be combined in flexible cross-fiber pair routing groups. Switchtypes other than “one by two” (connecting between one input/output portand two output/input ports) can be used for more complex configurations,such as 2×2 blocking, 2×2 non-blocking, or larger ratio switches.

Alternative optical devices can be used for routing, such as wavelengthselector switch filters. Fiber traffic propagation directionality oneach fiber can remain the same in all configuration states or can bereversed in some configurations. Configurations can be provided thatmaintain the coupling of two fibers into one fiber pair for allconfigurations. Additionally, or alternatively, the assignment of fiberswithin the cable into fiber pairs could be different in differentconfiguration states. This functionality can be implemented withalternative approaches, including higher order switching, and is notrestricted by the architectures shown.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a branch unit control configuration inan undersea fiber optic cable routing system.

The undersea fiber optic cable routing system 900 may include acontroller 902 and branching unit 904. The branching unit 904 may beconfigured to couple to a number of fiber optic cables. The number offiber optic cables may be three, such as cable 901 from Site A, cable903 from Site B and cable 905 from Site C. Each fiber optic cable 901,903 and 905 of the three fiber optic cables may include a number N offiber pairs, such as 914, 924, and 956, where N is 2, 4, 5, 12, 16, 24or the like. Note that in the branching unit 904 may be equipped toreceive different numbers of fiber pairs in each cable. each fiber pairof the plurality of fiber pairs in the first undersea fiber optic cable901 includes an outbound fiber, such as 938 for outputting the opticalsignals from the first site (e.g., Site A) and an inbound fiber 940 thatdelivers to the optical signals to the first site (i.e., Site A).Likewise, each fiber pair of the plurality of fiber pairs in the secondundersea fiber optic cable 903 includes an outbound fiber for outputtingthe optical signals from the second site (e.g., Site B) and an inboundfiber that delivers to the optical signals to the second site, and eachfiber pair of the plurality of fiber pairs in the third undersea fiberoptic cable 905 also includes an outbound fiber for outputting theoptical signals from the third site (e.g., Site C) and an inbound fiberthat delivers to the optical signals to the third site.

Each of the N fiber pairs includes an inbound fiber (e.g., 940) and anoutbound fiber (e.g., 938). In an example, the inbound fiber 940 mayreceive optical information (also referred to as optical signals) fromthe branching unit and the outbound fiber 938 may deliver differentoptical information (also referred to as optical signals) to thebranching unit 904. In FIG. 9, cable 901 includes the respective fiberpairs are 908, 910, 912, 914, 916 and 918; cable 903 includes respectivefiber pairs are 924, 926, 928, 930 932 and 934; and cable 905 includesthe respective fiber pairs are 956, 958, 960, 962, 964 and 966.

The branching unit 904 may include a bus 946 and switches 936 forcables. The respective fiber pairs of cables 901, 903 and 905 may coupleto respective optical assignable switches 936. Each of the fiber pairsfrom cables 901, 903 and 905 may include a number of channels in whichoptical signals are transmitted and one of the channels may be asupervisory channel over which remote command signals may be sent. Bus946 may be coupled to the respective switches which enables thecontroller 902 to monitor the supervisory channels and also makeswitching designations to the respective switches 936 of the respectivecables.

The controller 902 may include logic circuitry 942, memory 944 andelectro-optical conversion circuitry 952. The controller 902 may receivedesignations of fiber pairs to be switched in a remote command signal.The controller 902 may be coupled to the bus 946 of the branching unit904 via a control connection 948 which may be an optical connection oran electrical connection. The control connection 948 enables the logiccircuitry 942 to receive remote command signals and send controlsignals, make switching designations, such as assigning switches tocontrol groups, and configure the assignable switches of the switches936. The remote command signals may be transmitted on a supervisorychannel of a wavelength division multiplexed signal transmitted on therespective selected fiber pair in each of the first, second and thirdundersea fiber optic cables, The remote command signal may also indicatedesignated fiber pairs are to be grouped together in a control group,such as group R1-4×4×4 of FIG. 8.

The logic circuitry 942 may be a processor that responds to the remotecommand signals as well as other signals (such as status queries and thelike). The logic circuitry 942 may be implemented with integratedcircuits (ICs), application specific ICs (ASICs), field programmablearrays (FPGAs), and/or programmable logic devices (PLDs).

The memory 944 may store programming code executable by the logiccircuitry 942 as well as data structures, such as look up tables, usablein configuring the branching unit 904 including the switches 936 as wellas the ROADM 906.

The electro-optical conversion circuitry 952 may be operable to convertany optical signals into electrical signals and vice versa. For example,the forementioned supervisory channel may be an optical channel, and thecommand signals may be optical signals that are converted to electricalsignals compatible with the logic circuitry 942.

The controller 902 may also include a control connection 948 to eachrespective reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) 906,which may be one of many ROADMs used in the system. For example, ROADMscan be added on all or some of the input legs, in order to providehigher granularity optical spectrum allocation between the sites A, B,and C. The control connection 950 enables the controller 902 to controloperation of each respective ROADM, such as 906, of a plurality ofROADMs based the remote command signals. Remote command signals (andresponse signals) may be received by the controller 902 via a dedicatedoptical frequency within respective fiber pairs of the cables 901, 903and/or 905 via the bus 946 and control connection 948. In addition, oralternatively, command signal 954 may be received via another cable ortransmission method. While ROADM 906 is shown as accessing fiber pairs908 and 910 from site A and connecting to the branching unit 904 viafiber pairs 920 and 922, ROADMs can be used to access some or all fiberpairs on each leg. For example, multiple ROADMs may be used as shown inFIG. 8 or a single ROADM may be configured to access all of the fiberpairs of a cable.

The controller 902 may be located external to the branching unit 904 ormay be internal to the branching unit 904. Similarly, the ROADM 906 maybe external to the branching unit 904 or may be internal to thebranching unit 904.

The architecture described herein can be used throughout bidirectionalfiber pairs for two-way communications traffic. In alternateembodiments, it can also be used on a single fiber basis and otherapplications such as one-way data retrieval from undersea scientificapplications or sensors.

Certain examples of the present disclosure were described above. It is,however, expressly noted that the present disclosure is not limited tothose examples, but rather the intention is that additions andmodifications to what was expressly described herein are also includedwithin the scope of the disclosed examples. Moreover, it is to beunderstood that the features of the various examples described hereinwere not mutually exclusive and may exist in various combinations andpermutations, even if such combinations or permutations were not madeexpress herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosed examples. In fact, variations, modifications, and otherimplementations of what was described herein will occur to those ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and thescope of the disclosed examples. As such, the disclosed examples are notto be defined only by the preceding illustrative description.

It is emphasized that the Abstract of the Disclosure is provided toallow a reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technicaldisclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not beused to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Inaddition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features aregrouped together in a single example for streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed examples require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate example. In the appended claims, the terms“including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents ofthe respective terms “comprising” and “wherein,” respectively. Moreover,the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth, are used merely aslabels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on theirobjects.

The foregoing description of examples has been presented for thepurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise formsdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosurebe limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto. Future filed applications claiming priority to thisapplication may claim the disclosed subject matter in a different mannerand may generally include any set of one or more limitations asvariously disclosed or otherwise demonstrated herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An undersea fiber optic cable routing system,comprising: a branching unit coupled to three fiber optic cables, eachfiber optic cable having a plurality of fiber pairs, the branching unitcomprising: a plurality of switches for each fiber pair, the pluralityof switches configurable to enable a fiber pair from any one of thethree fiber optic cables to be switched to allow routing to either oftwo other fiber optic cables of the three fiber optic cables; and acontroller operable to receive remote command signals and to configurethe plurality of switches as indicated by the received remote commandsignal.
 2. The undersea fiber optic cable routing system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of switches for each fiber pair of a first fiberoptic cable of the three fiber optic cables includes a first switchcoupled to a first optical fiber of the fiber pair and a second switchcoupled to a second optical fiber of the fiber pair.
 3. The underseafiber optic cable routing system of claim 2, wherein the first switchcomprises: a first connection optically coupled to the first opticalfiber of the fiber pair; a second connection optically coupled to aswitch coupled to a second fiber optic cable of the three fiber opticcables; and a third connection optically coupled to another switchcoupled to a third fiber optic cable of the three fiber optic cables. 4.The undersea fiber optic cable routing system of claim 2, wherein thesecond switch comprises: a first connection optically coupled to thesecond optical fiber of the fiber pair; a second connection opticallycoupled to a corresponding switch coupled to a second fiber optic cableof the three fiber optic cables; and a third connection opticallycoupled to another corresponding switch coupled to a third fiber opticcable of the three fiber optic cables.
 5. The undersea fiber optic cablerouting system of claim 2, wherein: the first switch is configured toconnect the first optical fiber of the first fiber optic cable to afirst optical fiber of a fiber pair in a second fiber optic cable of thethree fiber optic cables; and the first switch is configured to connectthe second optical fiber of the first fiber optic cable to a secondoptical fiber of the fiber pair in the second fiber optic cable of thethree fiber optic cables.
 6. The undersea fiber optic cable routingsystem of claim 1, wherein: each fiber pair includes an inbound fiberand an outbound fiber, where the inbound fiber receives opticalinformation from the branching unit and the outbound fiber deliversdifferent optical information to the branching unit; and the controlleris further operable to generate a switching triangle in which a firstswitch of the plurality of switches for each fiber pair comprises: aninput coupled to the outbound fiber; a first output selectively coupledto the input for providing the different optical information to a fiberpair in another fiber optic cable of the three fiber optic cables; and asecond output selectively coupled to the input for providing thedifferent optical information to a fiber pair in another fiber opticcable of the three fiber optic cables.
 7. The undersea fiber optic cablerouting system of claim 1, wherein: each fiber pair includes an inboundfiber and an outbound fiber, where the inbound fiber receives opticalinformation from the branching unit and the outbound fiber deliversdifferent optical information to the branching unit; and the controlleris further operable to generate a switching triangle in which a firstswitch of the plurality of switches for each respective fiber pair,comprises: an output coupled to an inbound fiber of a respective fiberpair; a first input selectively coupled to the output of the respectivefiber pair; and a second input selectively coupled to the output.
 8. Theundersea fiber optic cable routing system of claim 1, wherein the threefiber optic cables include a first fiber optic cable, a second fiberoptic cable and a third fiber optic cable.
 9. The undersea fiber opticcable routing system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to:monitor each fiber pair of the plurality of fiber pairs in each of thethree fiber optic cables coupled to the branch unit, and receive theremote command signals, wherein the remote command signals aretransmitted over a fiber pair selected to be switched from the pluralityof fiber pairs.
 10. The undersea fiber optic cable routing system ofclaim 9, wherein the remote command signals used to configure theplurality of switches are transmitted on a supervisory channel of awavelength division multiplexed signal transmitted on the selected fiberpair.
 11. The undersea fiber optic cable routing system of claim 1,wherein the routing is limited by a fiber pair count of a fiber opticcable of the three fiber optic cables.
 12. The undersea fiber opticcable routing system of claim 1, further comprising: a reconfigurableoptical add-drop multiplexer coupled to one or more fiber pairs.
 13. Anundersea fiber optic cable routing system, comprising: a first underseafiber optic cable, a second undersea fiber optic cable, and a thirdfiber optic cable, wherein each of the first, second and third underseafiber optic cables includes a plurality of fiber pairs; and a branchingunit configured to couple to each of the first, second and thirdundersea fiber optic cables, the branching unit including: a first setof assignable switches configured to optically couple to the pluralityof fiber pairs in the first undersea fiber optic cable, wherein eachassignable switch in the first set is coupled to a respective fiber pairin the first fiber optic cable; a second set of assignable switchesconfigured to optically couple to the plurality of fiber pairs in thesecond undersea fiber optic cable, wherein each assignable switch in thesecond set is coupled to a respective fiber pair in the second fiberoptic cable; a third set of assignable switches configured to opticallycouple to the plurality of fiber pairs in the third undersea fiber opticcable, wherein each assignable switch in the third set is coupled to arespective fiber pair in the third fiber optic cable; a plurality ofoptical pathways coupling respective assignable switches in each of thefirst set of assignable switches, the second set of assignable switchesand the third set of assignable switches to one another; and acontroller coupled to each respective assignable switch in each of thefirst set of assignable switches, the second set of assignable switchesand the third set of assignable switches, wherein the controller isoperable to: assign a respective first set assignable switch from thefirst set to a respective second set assignable switch and to arespective third set assignable switch.
 14. The optic cable routingsystem of claim 13, wherein each of the first set of assignableswitches, the second set of assignable switches and the third set ofassignable switches are subdivided into a plurality of groups ofassignable switches, and each group of the plurality of groups ofassignable switches in the first set of assignable switches has acorresponding group in each of the second set of assignable switches andthe third set of assignable switches.
 15. The optic cable routing systemof claim 14, wherein: a number of assignable switches in a group ofassignable switches is based on a fewest number of fiber pairs in arespective one of the first undersea fiber optic cable, the secondundersea fiber optic cable or the third undersea fiber optic cable, andeach corresponding group of assignable switches has a same number ofassignable switches.
 16. The optic cable routing system of claim 14,wherein the controller is further operable to: subdivide the first setof assignable switches into groups of first set of assignable switches;subdivide the second set of assignable switches into groups of secondset of assignable switches; subdivide the third set of assignableswitches into groups of third set of assignable switches; and assignrespective groups from the first set of assignable switches tocorresponding groups from the second set of assignable switches and thethird set of assignable switches.
 17. The optic cable routing system ofclaim 13, further comprising: a plurality of reconfigurable opticaladd-drop multiplexers coupled to a selected fiber pair in each of thefirst, the second and the third undersea fiber optic cables, whereineach respective reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer of theplurality of reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers is coupled toa respective selected fiber pair prior to a coupling of the respectiveselected fiber pair to a respective assignable switch.
 18. The opticcable routing system of claim 17, wherein the controller furthercomprises: a control connection to each respective reconfigurableoptical add-drop multiplexer of the plurality of reconfigurable opticaladd-drop multiplexers; and the controller is further operable to:receive remote command signals transmitted on a supervisory channel of awavelength division multiplexed signal transmitted on the respectiveselected fiber pair in each of the first, second and third underseafiber optic cables; and control operation of each respectivereconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer of the plurality ofreconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers based the remote commandsignals.
 19. The optic cable routing system of claim 13, wherein thefirst undersea fiber optic cable delivers optical signals to and outputsoptical signals from a first site, the second undersea fiber optic cabledelivers optical signals to and outputs optical signals from a secondsite, and the third fiber optic cable delivers optical signals to andoutputs optical signals from a third site.
 20. The optic cable routingsystem of claim 19, wherein: each fiber pair of the plurality of fiberpairs in the first undersea fiber optic cable includes an outbound fiberfor outputting the optical signals from the first site and an inboundfiber that delivers to the optical signals to the first site; each fiberpair of the plurality of fiber pairs in the second undersea fiber opticcable includes an outbound fiber for outputting the optical signals fromthe second site and an inbound fiber that delivers to the opticalsignals to the second site; and each fiber pair of the plurality offiber pairs in the third undersea fiber optic cable includes an outboundfiber for outputting the optical signals from the third site and aninbound fiber that delivers to the optical signals to the third site.